Using a step counter could help you walk an extra mile a day

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(CNN) -

People walk an extra mile every day if they have a fitness tracker on their smartphone or watch, according to a study.

The researchers looked at dozens of studies that compared people's exercise activity with and without a tracker app.

They found that being able to monitor progress improved the distance people walked or ran.

The studies involved a total of 7,454 people.

Overall, people walked an average of 1,850 more steps if they had an app, a significant increase in daily workouts.

Most people take about 2,000 steps to walk 1 mile.

The authors of the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said that doctors might consider prescribing such apps and trackers for patients looking to get in shape.

"Interventions using smartphone apps or activity trackers look promising from a clinical and public health perspective," the authors wrote.

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"Given the wide and growing reach of smartphones, even modest improvements in physical activity can have large effects at the population level."

The study looked at research conducted primarily in the United States, and less than a third of the subjects involved were women, so it's unclear how widespread the findings would be.

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Increased physical activity

The increases in activity could also be short-lived, as users of the app move out of the "novelty phase" of tracking their exercise every day, the study authors warned.

However, their findings could present a simple and accessible way to encourage more exercise.

The researchers found that the tracking programs were particularly effective when users received a text message.

Health experts generally recommend that people aim to take 10,000 steps a day, and that mark is used as a default goal in most step counting apps.

However, a study last year found that the optimal number may be much lower, depending on your age.

The research found that women whose step counters reached 4,400 each day had a 41% lower death rate than women who took 1,700 fewer steps each day.

The average number of steps American adults take is between 4,000 and 5,000 per day, previous research has shown.

- CNN's Susan Scutti contributed to this report.

Physical activity